Event Summary

BAPHL XII took place on April 25, 2015 in the Harvard Square area from 11am to 6pm.

A total of 49 teams participated: 37 in the Blizzard (Competitive) division and 12 in the Flurry (Casual) division.

A record-setting total of 28 Blizzard teams and 2 Flurry teams successfully completed BAPHL XII before the 6pm wrapup.

Overview

BAPHL XII was intended to be the first ever winter BAPHL. The theme encompassed three of the main winter holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Festivus. Unfortunately, Phlogizote was woefully unprepared and they missed all three holidays, and then, well, there was some other major puzzle event in January. And then there was sooooooooooooooo much snow. Anyway, by the time Phlogizote got it together, it was well into Spring (the day after Arbor Day, no less), but they figured that trying to write a hunt that incorporated Easter, Passover, and Mother’s Day would take them well into Autumn, so they decided to go with what they had written.

The hunt started with a grab bag: each team got a present that determined where they went first (Christmas party, Hanukkah candle lighting, or Festivus dinner). Each holiday comprised a set of puzzles and a meta puzzle that explained why BAPHL XII had been delayed. After completing all three holidays, teams completed a New Year’s puzzle, and then an Arbor Day puzzle, to fully understand why BAPHL XII was happening when it happened.